A year ago I was scheduled to take a full-time banking job in New York. After graduating from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta, working in finance seemed like the sensible course of action, but my heart wasn’t in it. Instead, I decided to intern at a startup so I could learn the skills needed to start my own business.

Stumbling across Matcha green tea was a both lucky and an accident. During business school I drank a lot of coffee, but didn’t like the feeling it gave me – the crashes, the jitters. Then one day I walked into Teavana, discovered Matcha and was intrigued. I didn’t love the taste or traditional time-consuming preparation but I did love the way it made me feel; energized, but calm and clear headed.

I started experimenting with creating a better tasting Matcha tea in my own kitchen, just for personal enjoyment. Roommates and friends tried it and started asking me to make it for them as well. While I enjoyed cooking fresh batches of Matcha, I did not have the time to make it consistently. I looked for a pre-made Matcha drink to satisfy my Matcha craving, but could not find an affordable option with enough Matcha or flavor. I realized there was a huge opportunity to create a bottled Matcha product that would appeal to health conscious millennials like myself, by providing them with sustained energy without the crash and a great taste. Matcha has had a profound impact on my life, enabling me to realize a new feeling of energy. My mission is to provide others with products that will allow them to also unlock the inherent potential within themselves.

Business Description

I officially launched MetaMatcha in July 2015, and am working on the business full time along with a small part-time team. MetaMatcha is sold at some of NYC’s biggest food stores including Union Market, Zabars, Westside Market and Amish Market, as well as in several specialty stores in Atlanta and online.

MetaMatcha is proud to have created a healthy, affordable, ready-to-drink beverage, grounded in Matcha’s natural energizing caffeine, non-drowsy relaxation properties and abundant antioxidants. Our drinks are all-natural and use all organic ingredients. You can pronounce every single ingredient on our label and there are no chemicals or artificial flavors.

As a drink intended to engage our passionate customers, we love the opinions of others and are very open to consumer feedback. We use your input to constantly tweak current recipes and blend new recipes that you’ll love.

This past year, I have been lucky to have fantastic mentors and experts in the food industry who have provided incredible advice and taken a chance on me. My vision one day is to pay it forward by supporting others as they start their own businesses.

What is the purpose of this loan?

Thus far, I’ve financed MetaMatcha entirely through my own network. This will be my first official loan, and I’m excited that it is coming from a community of passionate individuals who want to help small businesses.

There are two key areas where I plan to use this loan:

Development of a Second MetaMatcha Flavor ($3,500): This loan will allow me to source and test ingredient combinations and conduct nutrition and shelf-life stabilization tests. Additionally, this loan will cover initial ingredient costs for my second flavor.

Marketing ($2,500) and In-Store Demos ($4,000): Marketing and education are vitally important, as MetaMatcha has not yet reached a high level of awareness. These funds will enable me to market the MetaMatcha products (most specifically the incredible health benefits), as well as conduct in-store demos so the wider public can taste MetaMatcha firsthand. I will look to hire health-conscious students who are passionate about MetaMatcha and have an entrepreneurial spirit to be on the ground level of a new company.